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If you follow apologetics at all, you’re likely familiar with Christopher Hitchens, the fiery atheist who has participated in a long string of debates with Christian thinkers and apologists. (I had a chance to attend one such debate last year; it was a fascinating experience.) On the heels of a new movie about his debates, Hitchens has written an interesting piece at Slate about what he learned from debating religious people around the world.

There are some characteristically sharp barbs about different branches of Christianity in the article, so bear that in mind before you read it. But I do recommend reading it, because it’s always useful to hear an honest account from the “other side” of the great debate over the truth of Christianity. What stands out to me is the reason Hitchens cites for respecting his debate opponent, Pastor Wilson:

Wilson isn’t one of those evasive Christians who mumble apologetically about how some of the Bible stories are really just “metaphors.” He is willing to maintain very staunchly that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ and that his sacrifice redeems our state of sin, which in turn is the outcome of our rebellion against God. He doesn’t waffle when asked why God allows so much evil and suffering—of course he “allows” it since it is the inescapable state of rebellious sinners. I much prefer this sincerity to the vague and Python-esque witterings of the interfaith and ecumenical groups who barely respect their own traditions and who look upon faith as just another word for community organizing.

Hitchens finds it more intellectually satisfying to debate a Christian who firmly and unapologetically believes in the core doctrines of the faith—as opposed to waffling on controversial questions or trying to tone down difficult topics.

Now, I don’t want to be unfair to the ecumenical groups that Hitchens criticizes here. But in thinking through my own responses when my faith is challenged in some way, I can’t deny that one of my strongest initial impulses is to try to tone down or moderate Christian beliefs that I actually hold strongly. I’m not sure if that’s a form of cowardice or a misguided attempt at conversational peacekeeping, but it’s helpful to be reminded that a response which communicates embarrassment about my own beliefs is not only shameful to me, but it’s intellectually and spiritually unhelpful to the person I’m talking to.

Is this something you struggle with? Have you learned how to earnestly contend for your faith without either being obnoxious about it, or apologetic about it? How do you respond when challenged to defend a belief that might draw scorn or skepticism?

Is traditional Christian apologetics still relevant when non-believers simply don’t care about Christianity? The Internet Monk suggests that ambivalence about religion is more common today than outright disbelief, and that apologetics arguments fall flat because the typical atheist today just doesn’t care about the Big Questions around which most Christian apologetics is built:

I’m convinced the game is not primarily about arguments any more. As grateful as I am for Tim Keller’s great book The Reason For God and his two hour presentations on You Tube, and as happy as I am that David Bentley Hart and others have convincingly demonstrated the fallacies of the new atheist arguments, the truth is that the contemporary atheist doesn’t plan to play a game of 21 with our NBA All Stars….

Atheism is just….easier. Occam’s Razor. Theism is too much trouble. It starts to sound like someone is trying to sell you something sight unseen. Isn’t your best move just to hang up the phone and ignore the call?

If true, this leads us to an interesting conundrum: what are Christian apologists to do if their audience no longer wants to engage them?

Meaningful debate requires two people, both of them passionate about their viewpoints. But as people actively disengage from religion and lose interest even in debating it, what’s a Christian apologist to do? An apologist’s first task is now to convince them that religion is worth talking about in the first place.

I’ve seen this trend in my own conversations with atheists and agnostics. Many just don’t seem to care. They don’t wake up every day intent on proving God’s non-existence or winning an argument with a Christian. They have too many other priorities to occupy their time.

What about you? Have you encountered people who just don’t care about religion, and if so, how did you respond? Is there value in training traditional apologists when many non-Christians could care less about their well-reasoned arguments?

Three new Just Thinking articles just went up at Ravi Zacharias’ website. Like previous Just Thinking pieces, they offer challenging looks at apologetics and faith:

• Of Isms and Rabbit Trails: J.M. Njoroge wonders if there is value in pursuing knowledge, or if it just distracts us from a relationship with God.
• Hyperseeing and the Towers of Babel: “Is Google making us stupid?” “Is Twitter bad for the soul?” “Is Facebook changing the way we relate?” All questions that have been endlessly discussed by writers and bloggers lately. Jill Carattini unpacks the issues of information overload and the social web.
• Inseparable Companions: what Charles Schultz’s Peanuts and the Great Pumpkin tell us about the never-ending debate about faith and the existence of God.

There are many more excellent essays in the Just Thinking archives if you want to explore further.

Dale and Jonalyn Fincher of the the Soulation ministry were interviewed recently on the Association of Christian Schools International radio program! During the interview they talk about what drove them to start up an apologetics ministry with a focus on students and young people, and why it’s so critical to engage people intellectually and spiritually with the Christian faith.

You can listen to the radio interview at the Soulation website. Dale and Jonalyn are an extremely eloquent and thoughtful pair; if you have any interest in student ministry or apologetics, it’s well worth giving the short interview a listen.

If somebody challenged you to defend your belief in the resurrection of Jesus on Easter, what would you say?

Is there any evidence that the Resurrection actually historically happened? Why should anybody believe that the Easter story isn’t a fairy tale cooked up by early Christians?

There’s no event more miraculous or important in the entire Bible than Jesus’ resurrection, and so it’s natural that skeptics would focus their challenges on the Resurrection story. And in fact, Christians should be honest and forthright in asking themselves: why do I believe in Jesus and the Easter story?

The FaithFacts ministry specializes in laying out evidence and answers in response to tough questions about Christianity, and their collection of evidence for the Resurrection is excellent reading at this time of year. Without overplaying their hand, they lay out a compelling case that reasonable people can and should take the Easter story seriously. So whether you’re looking for help in answering a critic’s charges, or want to find answers that will address your own honest questions about Jesus and the Resurrection, see if FaithFacts’ case makes sense to you.

It’s a major accomplishment to have been doing anything on the internet for five years, and even more impressive if it involves blogging. And doubly so if it invovles religion as well.

A big congrats goes to GetReligion for crossing that five year mark this week!

GetReligion is a blog devoted to the tireless scrutiny of religion in the mainstream press. They expertly point it out when religion is written about and more importantly when it’s not. They’re spending this week highlighting favorite posts from the past year. You can check out Doulas LeBlanc’s picks today, but remember to check in and congratulate them throughout the week.

Is it accurate to say that Christianity is “under attack” by our society? Why would this be the case, and more importantly, how are Christians to respond to it? Is it possible to present an intellectually credible defense of the Christian faith in a postmodern, secular culture?

Two new essays at Ravi Zacharias’ website address the issue of defending, and living out, a Christian life amidst criticism and pressure from non-Christian philosophies and ideas. The first, Defending Christainity in a Secular Culture, is an interview with Ravi Zacharias in which he talks about the importance of earnestly defending the Christian faith—a task not just for theologians and preachers, but for everyday Christians! And in An Uncompromising Faith Lived Out with Grace, Michael Ramsden describes a uncompromising but grace-filled Christian life.

If you found these essays useful, there are plenty more in the Just Thinking archives at the RZIM website.

Soulation has a new website! We’ve noted Soulation’s apologetics ministry several times before, but if you’re not familiar with them, now’s as good a chance as any to learn more about their ministry.

Soulation’s husband-and-wife team consists of Dale and Jonalyn Fincher, who have lots to say about topics ranging from apologetics, art, relationships, and what it means to live as somebody who is, in their words, “appropriately human.” Stop by the new site and have a look around!

“What is God’s will for my life?”

“What does God let bad things happen to me and my family?”

“Why should I trust the Bible?”

If you have kids or work with young people, chances are you’ve heard countless variations of these basic spiritual questions. Unfortunately, it’s often all too easy to respond with pat answers that don’t really address the heart of the question—and sometimes, even without realizing it, we can send the message to young people that it’s not OK to ask and think through tough spiritual questions.

Dale Fincher of Soulation has some thoughtful and inspiring words on the topic in a new audio message about apologetics questions that young people ask. Fincher challenges Christians not to run from young people’s “tough questions,” and not to minimize their importance. Rather, we should encourage kids to think critically through difficult spiritual issues.

This is one of several new audio resources at Soulation; see also a new audio message asking “why would a good God send people to hell?” and another about issues of identity and body image. If you’re looking for a fresh and direct approach to Christian apologetics, Dale and Jonalyn Fincher’s ministry has a lot to offer.

One of the most pervasive critiques of the Christian faith is the charge that it’s nothing more than a “psychological crutch.” Is God an invention of the mind, a fantasy we’ve imagined into being to give our lives some sense of meaning and purpose? Is belief in God something for the weak—a childish gullibility, a way of avoiding reality?

Amy Orr-Ewing tackles this question head-on in her essay Is Believing in God a Psychological Crutch? She traces the “psychological crutch” charge back to Freud, and offers a Christian response:

From [Freud's] perspective, God is merely a creation of the human mind, a projection emanating from human need and desire rather than a distinct reality or being that exists independently of the human mind. Freud’s notion of God acting as an idealized father figure for humans, providing a cushion from the harshness of the real world and a comforting friend in the midst of life’s troubles, reduces God to a human construct. Indeed, for Freud, God is made in humanity’s own image and is the “ultimate wish-fulfillment”; God does not actually exist but is merely the creation of humanity’s imagination and desire for a loving father figure.

How might a Christian respond to this? Can God really be explained away so easily by one aspect of psychology?

Read the full article, which is excerpted from Orr-Ewing’s upcoming book Is Belief in God Irrational? If you find this essay interesting, you can read the entire first chapter of the book over at InterVarsity Press.

Lastly, there are plenty more essays addressing the topics of faith, doubt, and apologetics at the Just Thinking archives. Don’t run from doubt and questions—take some time to see how Christian thinkers and writers are responding to tough questions about Christianity!